By Zephyria 
“What are you making?”
In-ho, having stepped out of Haon’s room, asked in a bright voice. Haon, who had just taken out some frozen chicken, hesitated before answering.
“Um… I was planning to boil some chicken….”
He had some chicken he’d bought in advance and thought it would be good to simmer, but it turned out to be frozen. He was just about to search the internet for how to boil frozen chicken.
“Or maybe I should change the menu. It’ll take some time to thaw.”
“I don’t mind eating late. I’m not hungry right now.”
In-ho approached the kitchen and asked how Haon was doing.
“Are you hungry?”
“Hmm….”
After considering his answer carefully, Haon said he thought he could hold out. He seemed to be hungry, though.
“Shall I peel some fruit for you? While you prepare dinner.”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
After a brief kiss, the two went about their respective tasks. Following what he saw online, Haon soaked the frozen chicken in water and then prepped the other ingredients. In-ho took a melon out of the refrigerator and placed it on the fruit cutting board.
Grasping the handle of a small, sharp paring knife, he held the cold melon firmly. Haon was behind him, chopping carrots and onions. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of vegetables being sliced echoed, slow but steady.
In-ho simply held the paring knife for a moment. The chill of the melon transferred to the hand holding it. Rubbing the rough skin with his thumb, In-ho slowly closed and opened his eyes.
“Haon.”
The moment he called Haon, the sound of the front door doorbell interrupted the conversation.
Startled by the sudden mechanical sound, Haon put down his knife. He then calmly looked toward the intercom.
“I’ll go. In-ho, please stay here,” Haon said in a fairly dependable voice. He rushed to the intercom before In-ho could even speak. Naturally, In-ho followed behind him, though he kept his distance since Haon had told him not to come.
Haon approached the small screen with focused intensity. In-ho hadn’t mentioned it, but Haon was still holding a half-chopped carrot in one hand. He looked very nervous about the sudden visitor.
“Uh….”
Haon, looking at the intercom as if ready to drive away whoever the visitor was, tilted his head. Not knowing how to use it, he fumbled with the machine without pressing any buttons, then turned back toward In-ho.
“It’s a student…?”
“A student?”
In-ho, who had been following slowly, tilted his head along with Haon. He trudged over to Haon’s side and checked the small intercom screen. His relaxed eyes sharpened slightly as he tried to see if it was a familiar face.
Haon glanced at In-ho and then looked back at the young student on the screen. It was a student with a short stature and a boyish face. He wasn’t wearing a school uniform, but he looked to be around middle school age.
“Keep cooking. I’ll be right back.”
“Who is it?”
In-ho, who had been heading toward the hallway, stopped and answered without looking at Haon.
“My brother.”
Haon stared at In-ho’s receding back with wide eyes. It was only natural to be surprised. He had never once heard In-ho mention having a brother.
In-ho passed through the long entrance hallway quickly. His pace was markedly different from when he had been walking to match Haon’s.
The doorbell didn’t ring again after that first time. However, that single ring had been enough to irritate In-ho’s nerves.
When he roughly opened the door, he saw Seo Ju-han standing there blankly, touching the bell. He wasn’t pressing the button; he just had his hand resting on it. Startled by the sudden opening of the door, he flinched and stepped back.
“Hyung….”
“Why are you here?”
In-ho stared at Ju-han’s face with a hardened gaze. His face looked more gaunt than the last time he’d seen him at a meal, and he had more injuries. Today, the corner of his mouth was split and had a blood scab. It looked like a recent wound.
“I asked why you’re here.”
However, In-ho did not mention his brother’s increased injuries. Though his gaze was fixed on the torn corner of the mouth and the bruised cheek, he didn’t let it show.
“Hyung, I heard you were hospitalized….”
“And so?”
As Ju-han stammered, In-ho tilted his chin up and pressed for an answer. The more he did, the more Ju-han shrank, unable to speak properly. Glaring at him, In-ho attempted to close the door without mercy.
“Come inside and talk.”
Haon intervened in their conversation first. Because he had been completely hidden by In-ho’s large frame, they hadn’t realized he had approached. Standing behind In-ho without a sound, Haon peeked his head out and looked at Ju-han.
“It’s cold outside… please talk inside.”
Haon paused for a moment upon seeing Ju-han’s face. His startled gaze landed on the dark red blood scab and the blue bruise. Those weren’t injuries from falling or bumping into something. They were clearly wounds from being hit by someone.
“Right? In-ho, let’s go inside.”
Carefully wrapping his arm around In-ho’s, Haon pulled him inward. Fortunately, In-ho followed Haon’s lead.
Looking at Ju-han, In-ho gestured with his chin toward the interior of the entrance. Ju-han, who had been standing dazed, stared at Haon for a moment and then quickly nodded.
In-ho wrapped an arm around Haon’s shoulder and crossed the inner door. Sensing that Haon was checking his expression, In-ho curved his eyes and smiled—a sign that he wasn’t angry.
“I’ll go talk in the room for a bit. Haon, please make yourself comfortable. Don’t mind us.”
“Okay.”
Haon looked back and forth between In-ho and Ju-han once more before returning to the kitchen. As he turned back halfway, he locked eyes with Ju-han, who was watching him. When Haon gave a small nod of greeting, Ju-han followed suit by slightly tilting his head.
“Follow me.”
In-ho’s voice, uttered in a brief brush, was blunt. Ju-han, following closely behind him, seemed accustomed to that tone.
In-ho entered the study across from the dressing room. It was a place that had been left neglected, as he had barely stepped foot in it since Haon arrived.
Sitting at the desk, In-ho gestured toward a small two-person sofa. He then sat in the chair in front of the desk, leaning back deeply and staring out the window. Since the sun was setting, it wasn’t dark yet.
Ju-han, sitting on the sofa In-ho had pointed to, quietly looked around his brother’s house, which he was visiting for the first time.
“Who told you to come?”
“What…?”
In-ho asked again, his gaze still fixed on the window.
“I asked who told you to come here.”
The moment he saw Ju-han on the intercom screen, the faces of Jang Eun-young and Seo Tae-wan had flashed through his mind. Those two were the only people who would send Ju-han here. Seo Seung-won was the type to avoid doing anything that might provoke In-ho.
“It’s not like that, Hyung. I came because I wanted to.”
Ju-han, perched on the edge of the sofa and fidgeting, waved both hands.
“Really. Mom doesn’t even know I’m here.”
“Then why did you come?”
In-ho’s eyes, now sensitized, grew sharp. He was already overwhelmed by so many things on his mind. With Seo Ju-han showing up and being a nuisance, a surge of profanity rose within him.
After rubbing his aching eyes, In-ho let out a sigh. His attention was lingering on Haon’s bag inside the closet.
“Mom….”
Sensing In-ho’s mood, Ju-han lowered his head deeply. Seeing the fact that he wasn’t even in his brother’s sights, his shoulders slumped further. Even though it was a fact he already knew.
“She keeps hitting me.”
He confessed the truth. The tips of Ju-han’s ears turned red as he murmured softly. Even in such a terrible situation, he felt shame more than sadness.
“This time… I thought I might be beaten to death.”
He trailed off, saying that was why he had run away.
Jang Eun-young, drunk from broad daylight, had taken her anger out on Ju-han in a frenzy. Today, she had even come into his room and thrown a liquor bottle, which had terrified him into leaving.
In-ho didn’t ask why he was beaten. The reasons Jang Eun-young used violence were different every time.
Whether it was the scent of another woman’s perfume on her husband’s clothes, or feeling ignored by someone, she would raise her hand against her powerless children.
“Go to a friend’s house.”
Faced with In-ho’s predictably cold reaction, Ju-han scratched the back of his hand, which was covered in small scars.
“I don’t have any friends.”
He quickly added that, fearing In-ho would tell him to go to a hotel.
“A-and, there’s something I want to ask you, Hyung….”
In-ho remained silent, continuing to stare out the window. The way he pressed his temple with his fist looked exhausted. Ju-han frowned, remembering that his brother hadn’t been out of the hospital for long.
“Are you okay? Is your health still bad?”
“Just tell me what you need.”
In-ho only wanted to end the conversation quickly. After glancing at Ju-han, who was just gaping, he asked with a hollow laugh.
“Don’t tell me you came here to ask that?”
Ju-han quickly shook his head. He chewed on his split lip, pondering his words. He looked desperate, as if he felt there would be no other opportunity if not now.
“How… can I become like you, Hyung?”
At the following question, In-ho let out an even louder scoff. The short, clipped sound of laughter was closer to a dry sigh.